BoE begins search for superintendent

The Sept. 19 announcement of a “mutual termination agreement” between the Fayette County Board of Education and Superintendent Jeff Bearden was followed Oct. 1 by a unanimous vote by the school board to have the Georgia School Boards Association conduct the search process for a new superintendent.

“The entire process will be one that is open and transparent,” said GSBA Executive Director Sis Henry in a Sept. 28 letter. “This is not a venture to recruit a group of candidates to be recommended to the board of education.”

Henry said the 17-step process will result in a search that is open to everyone wishing to submit an application. Those applications will be reviewed in light of the qualifications deemed important by the school board and all applications will be presented to the board, Henry said.

A sample timetable provided by GSBA showed a period of 4-5 months to complete the process.

GSBA was the organization heading the search that culminated with Bearden being selected in late 2010 to fill the position of former Superintendent John DeCotis, who retired.

The board’s unanimous action came with essentially no discussion prior to the vote.